Firelight Foundation

FUND AND BUILD CAPACITY OF AFRICAN COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS THAT IMPROVE CHILDREN'S LIVES.

CHILD RIGHTS AND CHILD PROTECTIONINITIATIVE SUMMARYFIRELIGHT FACILITATES A COMMUNITY-INVOLVED MAPPING TO UNDERSTAND AREAS OF VULNERABILITY AND OPPORTUNITY IN UP TO 3 COUNTRIES, LEADING TO 2 NEW CLUSTERS OF CBO GRANTEES WITH WHOM TO REALIZE AND TEST OUR APPROACH TO COMMUNITY-DRIVEN SYSTEMS CHANGE FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS.FIRELIGHT WILL SEEK TO IDENTIFY UP TO TWO NEW CLUSTERS OF CBO GRANTEE PARTNERS TO WORK WITH FOR UP TO FIVE YEARS IN REALIZING LONG-TERM COMMUNITY ACTION FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND PROTECTION. FIRELIGHT WILL BUILD ON OUR EMERGING PARTICIPATORY ENGAGEMENT AND ACTION PRACTICES AND FRAMEWORKS TO HELP EXPLORE AND EMBRACE THE COMMUNITY'S MOST PRESSING AREAS OF CONCERN OR MOST PRESSING CHALLENGES FROM A CHILDREN'S RIGHTS PERSPECTIVE. WE WILL THEN SUPPORT CLUSTERS OF CBOS TO ALSO UTILIZE THESE HIGHLY PARTICIPATORY PRACTICES SO THAT THEY, ALONG WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES - INCLUDING CHILDREN THEMSELVES - CAN ALSO DETERMINE THE COMMUNITY ACTION THEY TOGETHER BELIEVE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO TAKE FOR THEIR CHILDREN.FIRELIGHT BUILDS, DOCUMENTS AND SHARES CRITICAL EVIDENCE THAT WILL BE NECESSARY TO ENCOURAGE MORE DONORS AND DONOR INSTITUTIONS TO ENCOURAGE THEM TO VALUE AND SUPPORT COMMUNITY-LED AGENDA SETTING AND ACTION FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS.WE SEEK THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES - FIRELIGHT, OUR CURRENT CBO LEADERS AND OTHER AFRICAN COMMUNITY-DRIVEN SYSTEMS CHANGE EXPERTS HELP US CO-CREATE A CONCEPT, FRAMEWORK, TOOLS, AND APPROACH FOR CBO-FACILITATED COMMUNITY-DRIVEN SYSTEMS CHANGE WHICH IS DOCUMENTED AND CAN BE USED AS A FRAMING FOR OUR FUTURE CBO GRANTEES.- A DETAILED, USEABLE AND COMMUNICABLE COMMUNITY-INFORMED MAPPING OF WHAT COMMUNITIES IN UP TO THREE COUNTRIES BELIEVE ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE THE GREATEST FOR THEIR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS AND WHERE THEIR OWN ACTIONS MIGHT BE POWERFUL.- FIRELIGHT'S CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS EFFECTIVELY EXPLORE WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES (INCLUDING CHILDREN THEMSELVES) WHAT ACTION MIGHT BE NEEDED FOR COMMUNITY REALIZATION OF CHILDREN'S RIGHTS AND THEN ENGAGE IN PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES WITH COMMUNITIES, CHILDREN THEMSELVES AND OTHER CRITICAL STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE AND BUILD ON EXISTING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMMUNITY ASSETS, TO JOINTLY IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE NEEDS AND TO DEVELOP AND TEST COMMUNITY-DRIVEN ACTIONS/SOLUTIONS THAT WILL IMPROVE/CREATE ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS THAT SUPPORT RIGHTS REALIZATION FOR CHILDREN.FIRELIGHT BUILDS EVIDENCE TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS- IS COMMUNITY-DRIVEN ACTION AN EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE RESPONSE TO ADDRESSING THE KEY RIGHTS OF CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA? (I.E., DOES THIS MODEL WORK?)- HOW CAN CBOS BE EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTED TO EMPOWER, MOBILIZE, AND COLLABORATE WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES, EXISTING COMMUNITY STRUCTURES, GOVERNMENT, AND BENEFICIARIES IN THE CONCEPTUALIZATION, DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY ACTION PLANS FOR CHILDREN RIGHTS? (I.E., HOW CAN WE BEST SUPPORT CBOS TO PARTNER WITH COMMUNITIES ON CHILD RIGHTS?)- CAN CBO PARTNERS, WITH FUNDS, TIME, AND SUPPORT, CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE IN THE CAPACITY AND ENGAGEMENT OF COMMUNITIES TO MAP OUT, PRIORITIZE, AND RESPOND TO KEY ISSUES AFFECTING YOUNG CHILDREN IN THEIR COMMUNITIES? (I.E., DO WE SEE CHANGES IN COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS?)- WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS AND PROCESSES IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF CBO-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS FOR EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY RESPONSES/SOLUTIONS FOR CHILDREN'S RIGHTS? (I.E., WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO SUPPORT CBOS AND COMMUNITIES TO DO THIS EFFECTIVELY WITH AND WITHOUT DONOR SUPPORT?)

CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATIONFIRELIGHT HAS ESTABLISHED TWO CLUSTERS OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION GRANTEES IN MALAWI AND ZAMBIA WHO WILL BE SUPPORTED OVER A 3 TO 5-YEAR PERIOD TO ENGAGE THEIR COMMUNITIES IN BUILDING, ENACTING OR ENHANCING POSITIVE COMMUNITY-DRIVEN EARLY CHILDHOOD NURTURING, EDUCATION AND CARE SYSTEMS. OBJECTIVES- CBOS UNDERSTAND AND USE GLOBAL AND LOCAL KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT CHILDREN NEED TO DEVELOP TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL TO VALUE AND BUILD ON LOCAL KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICES, INITIATIVES AND SYSTEMS THAT ARE SUPPORTIVE OF WHAT YOUNG CHILDREN NEED TO GROW AND DEVELOP TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.- CBOS HAVE THE CAPACITIES AND RESOURCES TO WORK WITH COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO JOINTLY ASSESS AND IMPROVE/CREATE ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SUPPORT NURTURING CARE FOR CHILDREN.- CBOS ENGAGE IN LEARNING, NETWORKING AND POLICY INFLUENCE AND HAVE STRONGER ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES.- EVIDENCE, LEARNINGS, AND KNOWLEDGE ARE SYNTHESIZED AND SHARED LOCALLY, REGIONALLY, AND GLOBALLY TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CBO-COMMUNITY-GOVERNMENT COLLABORATIONS CAN IMPROVE/CREATE ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS THAT SUPPORT NURTURING CARE FOR CHILDREN. APPROACHBASED ON OUR EVALUATION AND LEARNINGS, OUR APPROACH WILL EMPHASIZE THE FOLLOWING: - STARTING WITH THE END IN MIND - CONCEPTUALIZING EACH PHASE AND EACH ACTIVITY TOWARDS THE ULTIMATE END OF STRENGTHENING CBO AND COMMUNITY CAPACITY TO CONTINUE TO IDENTIFY, PRIORITIZE, RESPOND/ACT, LEARN AND IMPROVE - LONG AFTER THE PROJECT CYCLE HAS ENDED;- A LONGER PROJECT CYCLE, WITH SECURE AND FLEXIBLE FUNDING, AND ONGOING AND RESPONSIVE PROCESSES OF CAPACITY BUILDING, PEER LEARNING, AND EVALUATION AND REFLECTION;- A MEANINGFUL PERIOD OF TIME AT THE START OF THE CYCLE FOR CBOS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CHILDREN NEED TO DEVELOP TO THEIR FULL POTENTIAL AND THEN ENGAGE IN PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES WITH COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO RECOGNIZE AND BUILD ON EXISTING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND COMMUNITY ASSETS; IDENTIFY AND PRIORITIZE NEEDS; AND JOINTLY DEVELOP AND TEST ACTIONS/SOLUTIONS THAT WILL IMPROVE NURTURING CARE FOR CHILDREN. - ITERATIVE CYCLES OF LEARNING AND ACTION, WITH MEANINGFUL PERIODS OF TIME (AND CAPACITY) FOR CBOS, COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT TO PILOT/IMPLEMENT, MONITOR IMPLEMENTATION, AND REFINE THEIR MODELS, INTERSPERSED WITH MEANINGFUL TIME (AND CAPACITY) TO ENGAGE IN DEEPER AND MORE SYSTEMATIC EVALUATION AND LEARNING PROCESSES - TO IMPROVE THEIR LOCAL STRATEGIES AS WELL AS GENERATE KNOWLEDGE FOR THE REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ECD COMMUNITY.- A FOCUS ON SUPPORTING CBOS TO MAKE DECISIONS THAT ARE GROUNDED IN A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT CHILDREN NEED AS WELL AS LOCAL PRIORITIES, REALITIES, AND OPPORTUNITIES. WE BELIEVE THIS APPROACH WILL HELP US MOVE AT THE PACE OF THE CBOS AND THE COMMUNITIES SUPPORTING THEM TO DO WHAT THEY CAN IN A MANNER THAT IS SUSTAINABLE AND CONTEXTUALLY-RELEVANT.PROGRAMS AND OPERATIONS GRANTS IN YEAR 1, CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS WILL RECEIVE SMALL LEARNING AND PLANNING GRANTS TO FACILITATE THEIR PARTICIPATORY LEARNING AND ACTION PLANNING PROCESSES WITH THEIR COMMUNITIES. CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS WILL SPEND MEANINGFUL TIME WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS IN PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES OF MAPPING/IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS AND ASSETS, UNDERSTANDING SYSTEMIC/ROOT CAUSES, PRIORITIZE ISSUE AREAS TO FOCUS ON, GENERATE ACTIONS/SOLUTIONS, AND DEVELOP ACTION PLANS. THESE FOUNDATIONAL PROCESSES WILL FORM THE BASIS OF CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS' GRANT PROPOSALS FOR IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS IN YEARS 2 AND 3. IN YEARS 2 AND 3, CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS WILL RECEIVE GRANTS TO SUPPORT THEIR PROGRAMS AND OPERATIONS UNDER THIS INITIATIVE. PROPOSALS/PLANS WILL BE EXPECTED TO SHOW HOW THE PROPOSED COMMUNITY ACTIONS/SOLUTIONS IMPROVE/CREATE ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS WHICH SUPPORT NURTURING CARE FOR CHILDREN, PARTICULARLY FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN, AND ESPECIALLY RESPONSIVE CAREGIVING. CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS WILL BE EXPECTED TO LEVERAGE AND BUILD ON EXISTING KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICES AND SYSTEMS AS WELL AS AVAILABLE RESOURCES INCLUDING GOVERNMENT FUNDS OR COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS. PARTNERS' PROPOSALS, WORKPLANS, AND BUDGETS WILL ALSO BE EXPECTED TO INCLUDE ONGOING PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES FOR PLANNING, IMPLEMENTING, MONITORING AND EVALUATING, AND LEARNING AND ADAPTATION DURING THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE. FINALLY, ONGOING ATTENTION WILL BE GIVEN TO COMMUNITY / LOCAL STAKEHOLDER OWNERSHIP OF THE PROJECT, WITH AN EYE TO CONTINUED COMMUNITY ACTION AFTER THE END OF THE PROJECT CYCLE.LEARNING AND EVALUATIONPARTICIPATORY LEARNING AND EVALUATION: THESE PROCESSES ARE INTEGRATED THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT CYCLE, WITH MORE SYSTEMATIC AND INTENTIONAL LEARNING AT THREE KEY POINTS - AT THE START - DURING PARTICIPATORY MAPPING OF ISSUES AND ROOT CAUSES, AT THE YEAR 3 MARK - WITH A MORE IN-DEPTH EVALUATION AND LEARNING PHASE, AND NEAR THE END OF THE PROJECT AS WE EVALUATE IMPACT AND CONSOLIDATE LEARNINGS. CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS WILL BE SUPPORTED TO INTENTIONALLY CAPTURE AND DOCUMENT LEARNINGS AT THESE KEY THREE POINTS, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS BEEN WORKING WELL, WHAT HAS NOT, AND LESSONS TO CARRY FORWARD. CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS WILL BE SUPPORTED TO SHARE THEIR LEARNINGS IN KEY WITHIN-CLUSTER AND BEYOND-CLUSTER CONVENINGS/FORA. IN ADDITION, CBO GRANTEE-PARTNERS WILL BE SUPPORTED TO WORK WITH COMMUNITY STRUCTURES IN USING INDIGENOUS METHODOLOGIES THAT WILL REFLECT THE PROGRESS MADE AND MEASURES TO BE TAKEN WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES FOR CHILDREN'S DEVELOPMENT. PARTICULARLY PROMISING PROCESSES AND MODELS WILL BE DOCUMENTED AS CASE STUDIES FOR WIDER SHARING. IN ADDITION, FIRELIGHT'S OVERALL LEARNING AGENDA IN THIS INITIATIVE WILL BE GUIDED BY THE FOLLOWING KEY QUESTIONS:- HOW CAN CBOS BE EFFECTIVELY SUPPORTED TO EMPOWER, MOBILIZE, AND COLLABORATE WITH COMMUNITY LEADERS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES, EXISTING COMMUNITY STRUCTURES, GOVERNMENT, AND BENEFICIARIES IN THE CONCEPTUALIZATION, DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND EVALUATION OF COMMUNITY ACTION PLANS FOR IMPROVED EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT? (I.E., HOW CAN WE BEST SUPPORT CBOS TO PARTNER WITH COMMUNITIES TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL ECD?)- CAN CBO PARTNERS - WITH FUNDS, TIME, AND SUPPORT - CREATE MEANINGFUL CHANGE IN THE CAPACITY AND ENGAGEMENT OF COMMUNITIES TO MAP OUT, PRIORITIZE, AND RESPOND TO KEY ISSUES AFFECTING YOUNG CHILDREN IN THEIR COMMUNITIES? (I.E., DO WE SEE CHANGES IN COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR PROVIDING NURTURING CARE?)- IS COMMUNITY-DRIVEN ACTION AN EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE RESPONSE TO ADDRESSING THE KEY NEEDS AND ISSUES OF YOUNG VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA? (I.E., DOES THIS MODEL WORK?)- WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS AND PROCESSES IMPORTANT TO THE SUCCESS OF CBO-COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS FOR EFFECTIVE AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY RESPONSES/SOLUTIONS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT? (I.E., WHAT IS A REPLICABLE 'MODEL OR APPROACH FOR COMMUNITY-DRIVEN ECD?)BY INDIGENOUS METHODOLOGIES WE MEAN LOCAL TECHNIQUES THAT ARE RESPONSIVE TO THE LOCAL NEEDS AND CONTEXT AND ARE USED BY LOCAL PEOPLE FOR INQUIRY, DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, SHARING AND USAGE.

COVID-19 EMERGENCY REPONSEIN EARLY MARCH 2020, FIRELIGHT BEGAN TO ENGAGE INTENSIVELY WITH OUR GRANTEE PARTNERS ACROSS TANZANIA, RWANDA, ZAMBIA, MALAWI AND ZIMBABWE TO ESTABLISH WHAT THE IMMEDIATE, MEDIUM-TERM AND POTENTIALLY LONG-TERM IMPACT MIGHT BE OF COVID-19.SINCE THAT TIME, FIRELIGHT HAS - RAISED OVER USD $700K FOR COVID-19 RAPID GRANTS- MADE EMERGENCY/RAPID-RESPONSE GRANTS TO 66 ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS TANZANIA, RWANDA, ZAMBIA AND MALAWI- ESTABLISHED COUNTRY-WIDE NETWORKING CALLS AND WHATSAPP GROUPS FOR ALL GRANTEES IN EACH COUNTRY TO ASSIST WITH INTER-GRANTEE CONNECTION, CONNECTION TO OTHER CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS, KNOWLEDGE SHARING AND INFORMATION GATHERING- ESTABLISHED A REGULAR MONTHLY CHECK IN FOR ALL GRANTEES WITH FIRELIGHT STAFF TO THEY CAN SHARE ONGOING OR NEW CONCERNS, DEVELOPMENTS AND NEEDSWE CONTINUE TO ASSESS THE SITUATION(S) IN EACH COUNTRY AND WILL CONTINUALLY UPDATE BOTH THE INDIVIDUAL GRANTEE/COUNTRY/ISSUE NEEDS ANALYSIS AS WELL AS THE OVERALL SITUATION TO DETERMINE OUR COLLECTIVE NEXT STEPS.